Hugh McDonald (17 July 1954 – 18 November 2016) was an Australian musician. Active from the 1970s to 2016, he performed and recorded with
the Bushwackers
The Bushwhackers are a professional wrestling tag team who competed first as the New Zealand Kiwis and then as The Sheepherders during their 36-year career as a tag team. They wrestled in the WWE, World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promoti ...
, the Sundowners, Banshee, Redgum, Des "Animal" McKenna, Moving Cloud and the Colonials.
McDonald became better known when he joined the
folk-rock group
Redgum
Redgum were an Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann, Michael Atkinson on guitars/vocals, Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were later joined by Hugh McDonald on fiddle and Ch ...
in 1981. He wrote a number of the group's songs, including "The Diamantina Drover". After lead singer
John Schumann
John Lewis Schumann (born 18 May 1953) is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Adelaide. He is best known as the lead singer for the folk group Redgum, with their chart-topping hit " I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)", a s ...
left the band in 1986, he took over as lead singer until the group disbanded in 1990.
After Redgum, McDonald continued playing and recording music, and also taught music, including working with the Geelong Music College Orchestra. In addition, he had his own recording studios in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
.
McDonald also lent his musical and recording expertise to the production of the Poowong Consolidated Primary School's annual music CD and more recently DVD. He worked alongside the students and music teacher Phil Beggs to compose, write, record and produce the CD.
From 2005 McDonald worked with Schumann again as part of the
Vagabond Crew, touring and performing on the albums ''
Lawson'' and ''
Behind the Lines''. The latter album was recorded at McDonald's studios.
McDonald performed for Australian forces overseas several times. In December 2009 he visited
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...
to play for
Australian and New Zealand troops stationed there, in September–October 2011 he played for Australian troops in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and in July 2013 he played for Australian troops and
Australian Federal Police in the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...
. In 2014 he played for the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
troops in Tanzania, Africa, and in March 2016 he returned to Afghanistan to play for Australian troops.
In 2014 McDonald released his third solo album, titled ''The Land'', which includes his more recent originals "If It All Goes South", a tender heartfelt song which he wrote for his wife, Rebecca Harris Mason, and "Shrodinger's Cat", a contemplative song about accepting the uncertainties of life.
McDonald had seven children, six grandchildren and lived with his wife, pianist Rebecca Harris Mason, and his two stepchildren. His daughter, Georgia, is also a musician who sings and plays guitar in Melbourne band
Camp Cope
Camp Cope are an Australian alternative rock trio formed in 2015 in Melbourne, Victoria. The group consists of lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Georgia "Georgia Maq" McDonald, bassist Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich, and drummer Sarah "Thomo" Thomp ...
.
Hugh McDonald died on 18 November 2016 from complications of prostate cancer.
[John Schumann posts emotional tribute to Redgum guitarist Hugh McDonald, who died aged 62 21 November 2016]
''Adelaide Advertiser
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The demo ...
'' Retrieved 28 November 2016
Discography
Albums
Other singles
References
External links
McDonald's official websiteOfficial site for the Vagabond Crew's ''Lawson'' albumThe Vagabond Crew's Facebook pageMcDonald's Facebook pageVideo for "If it All Goes Down South"
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Hugh
1954 births
2016 deaths
Australian folk singers
Australian male singers
Australian songwriters
Musicians from South Australia
Redgum